I don't think there is such a thing as an "ideal speaker." You can line up dozens of speakers as candidates for the best current speaker, and you will have a WIDE difference in opinion as to which is the "best" (i.e., the closest to an "ideal"). Part of the problem is that there is so much variability in recording techniques, so much difference in approaches to mastering, huge differences in the acoustics of listening rooms and wide variance from perfection of all of the upstream components (e.g., microphones and how they are used), that even if one attained perfection in certain areas (e.g., zero harmonic and intermodulated distortion), that would just be a tiny part of the picture. There is no one design that could possibly work in all rooms, never mind consideration of personal taste, types of music, etc. It might well be the case that certain obvious tonal colorations would be favorable, not a deleterious variance from an ideal, given such considerations. Would the ideal speaker be a omni-directional point source, or something with a narrow, controlled dispersion pattern to reduce room effects? The answer is-- it depends on the intended application (the differences in listening rooms, intended speaker and listener placement, listener priority on type of "image," etc.
That said, I certainly agree that modern technology and the accumulated knowledge of past approaches certainly give current designers a MUCH greater range of tools to attain whatever sound they want to achieve than was possible in the past. I don't disagree with the general proposition that, now more than ever in the past, designers can achieve any given kind of "sound" from speakers. But, whether they are even so much as trying for a sound that is as good as what has been achieved in the past, at least in certain areas, is debatable. That is why, depending on listener taste and priorities, you will find fans of different designs from the 1930 on up to current models. I wish that there were more current makers that are interested in the old-school sound that I like, other than the few makers of ultra expensive and massive systems like those using ALE, Cogent and Goto drivers.
That said, I certainly agree that modern technology and the accumulated knowledge of past approaches certainly give current designers a MUCH greater range of tools to attain whatever sound they want to achieve than was possible in the past. I don't disagree with the general proposition that, now more than ever in the past, designers can achieve any given kind of "sound" from speakers. But, whether they are even so much as trying for a sound that is as good as what has been achieved in the past, at least in certain areas, is debatable. That is why, depending on listener taste and priorities, you will find fans of different designs from the 1930 on up to current models. I wish that there were more current makers that are interested in the old-school sound that I like, other than the few makers of ultra expensive and massive systems like those using ALE, Cogent and Goto drivers.